*Photo Credits - St. Scholastica Sports Information; Bethany Lutheran Sports Information
*Article Credit - Sara Eisenhauer; UMAC Assistant Commissioner
Saturday, Dec. 17, 2016 - Women's Basketball: St. Scholastica at Bethany Lutheran

ST. PAUL, Minn.--- Early in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) women's basketball season, several of the preseason favorites to make postseason runs have put together impressive wins including Bethany Lutheran College and the College of St. Scholastica – both teams are 2-1 after two weeks of league competition.
 
Heading into the final weekend of conference play before the new year, one of the two squads will have a chance to pull ahead and increase the odds of making the postseason by even more. Bethany Lutheran and St. Scholastica will clash in a pre-holiday thriller Saturday for the "UMAC Game of the Week."
 
Both teams got off to a tough start in non-conference play falling to tough regional competition, but since have taken victories in two of their three games against UMAC squads – including a close margin of victory in at least one contest. With closely contested games in the past, Saturday's game could come down to the wire.
 
In the opener a year ago at Bethany Lutheran on Dec. 5, 2015, the Vikings dominated behind a 28-point performance from the UMAC Freshman of the Year Haley Sandin to win on their home court 74-57. The early season win showed the potential of the Vikings to make a run at the conference title.
 
Though the Vikings slipped up against the top two UMAC teams, they were able to place third in the conference thanks to several key wins including a narrow 69-64 decision on the road over the Saints later in the season. Minnie Frederick-Childress scored a Viking-best 16 points along with three others who posted in double figures to anchor the win.
 
With those losses, the Saints finished with a 7-9 conference mark to tie for fifth in the standings and missed the postseason tournament for the first time since the 2008-09 season. The Vikings ended with a 10-6 UMAC mark before falling in the playoff semifinals to the University of Northwestern.
 
Last season, the Vikings and Saints' statistical team marks were telling of how the two teams finished. The Vikings ranked second in conference scoring with 64.0 points per game (ppg) and were third in points allowed (61.8 ppg), while the Saints were fifth in both categories scoring 60.1 ppg and allowing 62.6 ppg. They were nearly identical in rebounding with Bethany Lutheran fourth with 39.2 per game and St. Scholastica fifth with 38.8 per game. The Saints were better defensively allowing the second-fewest rebounds (37.3), but the Vikings were just behind in third (37.4).
 
At the conclusion of the 2015-16 campaign, both teams had a lot to count on with key returners anticipated back. The Vikings lost just one starter and were fortunate enough to get back Sandin and Frederick-Childress – another All-UMAC First Team selection who led the nation in steals per game (4.8). The lone loss for the Vikings was a big one, though, in Honorable Mention pick Briana Brandts who averaged a double-double in conference play (12.6 ppg, 11.3 rpg) and shot 50 percent from the field.  
 
The Saints would feel the loss of First Team pick Brittani Brennan who was sixth in conference scoring 13.1 ppg and among the top 10 in multiple other categories. However, there was a lot to look forward to with the return of Michala Walther who had a solid rookie campaign averaging 11.1 ppg in conference play, as well as Holly VanKempen who was seventh in conference rebounding (6.8) and first in blocks per game (2.1).
 
With both teams returning a wealth of talent, they were easy selections to place in the postseason per the UMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Vikings were picked third with 51 points including one first place vote, and the Saints were fifth with 42 points – just a nine-point difference from the Vikings.
 

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The Match Up
Looking ahead to this weekend's game, the two teams are both on the UMAC board with two conference wins. They both have been on the lower end of scoring through three UMAC games, though, as Bethany Lutheran ranks sixth in scoring with 61.3 ppg and St. Scholastica is seventh with 59.7 ppg. The Saints have been tough defensively ranking second in scoring defense (56.7 ppg) and second in rebounds allowed (35.7). The two teams will be a tough matchup as Bethany has been solid on the glass with 46.0 rebounds per game and ranking first in offensive boards with 19.7 per game.
 
Bethany Lutheran started out on a slide losing three games to top regional opponents before opening the conference slate with a thrilling 73-71 overtime win against rival Martin Luther College. The Vikings then suffered a tough loss to conference-undefeated University of Minnesota Morris, but turned things around with a 10-point victory over Crown College.
 
St. Scholastica also started off with a tough non-conference schedule losing to some of the top teams from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). The Saints were able to open the UMAC portion of the year with a solid win over North Central University, but suffered a 10-point loss to Northwestern the following day. The Saints then won two-straight defeating Finlandia University and then putting together a come-from-behind win over Northland College 56-52.
 

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Need to Know – Bethany Lutheran
- The Vikings made the postseason last year after being the first team out the previous four years.
- Bethany Lutheran returned four starters who averaged 32.6 minutes per game last season.
- Those four starters accounted for over 70 percent of the team's points last year.
 
Need to Know – St. Scholastica
- In each of St. Scholastica's final four losses in 2015-16, the team led at halftime and failed to score 20 points or more in three of those games.
- The Saints were outscored by 65 points in the four quarter of games last season and just by six in all three others combined.
- St. Scholastica enters the weekend winning two-consecutive games and three of its last four.
 

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Who to Watch – Bethany Lutheran
Sandin hasn't missed a beat in year two with the Vikings ranking third in overall scoring and ninth in conference play with 13.0 ppg. Frederick-Childress and Brooke Henning are both averaging over 10 ppg against UMAC squads as well. In three UMAC games, Frederick-Childress and Sandin rank first and second, respectively, in both assists and steals per game with over 3.5 each per category. Dakota Ellinghuysen is among returning starters and has been off to a good conference start with 9.0 ppg and 5.7 rebounds per game. Henning is also tallying over one block per game.
 
Who to Watch – St. Scholastica
As anticipated, Walther has stepped up as the Saints' leader with the third-best scoring average (16.3 ppg) in early conference games. She also ranks in the top 10 in field goal percentage (41.9), 3-point percentage (32.1) and steals per game (2.7). Sam Brannen and Kayla Swanson have increased their roles this season as both have earned UMAC Player of the Week awards early on. Brannen averages 7.3 rebounds per game, while Swanson ranks 14th in league scoring with 10.7 ppg and fifth in assists per game (5.5). Mel Weisbrick also ranks 11th in rebounds (6.0).
 

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The Basics
The conference matchup between Bethany Lutheran and St. Scholastica is set for this Saturday, Dec. 17 with tip off scheduled for 3 p.m. The contest will take place on the campus of Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minnesota.
 
The "Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Game of the Week" is a feature that takes place each week throughout the conference portion of the season with one contest being selected and highlighted as the "UMAC Game of the Week".